Book Review of Screen Language by Cherry Potter (2001)

4/1/2019

Patrick Charsky

Screen Language by Cherry Potter shows filmmaking techniques used by master filmmakers. The book was published in 2001. I found out about the book through my MFA guide that I received in Graduate School. Cherry Potter is a long time film professor who has written widely and taught for many years.

The best part about the book were the films selected for review. I read each chapter and watched each film. The films selected were either recognized masterpieces like Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction or films that deserve a second look like Camino’s Heaven’s Gate and Bertolucci’s The Conformist. The latter two films are underappreciated and Potter does a great service to film scholarship by analyzing them in her valuable book.

The next great aspect of the book was how it was organized. Each thematic chapter was organized around a particular aspect of film language. There were sections that dealt with the use of dreams and fantasies. There was a section about departures from the classic narrative structure. This section was especially good. It turned me on to Mirror by Tarkovsky which is considered his best film. It also discussed different theories about how to structure films which I found fascinating.

The writing was also excellent. There is so much valuable information in this text. It should be required reading for film students looking to study films or make their own films. I was enraptured with the amount of theoretical sophistication as well as the short reviews of each study film. I couldn’t wait to read each chapter and watch each film.

The book is decidedly academic. It might be over the heads of non specialist readers. Fanboys will be turned off from this book as too many art films not enough popcorn filcks. The films reviews are a little tedious and maybe not enough.

Aside from those drawbacks the book is excellent. It provides a concise analysis of different aspects of film language. It combines theory with examples it a way that is easy to read and easy to understand. One of the best film studies books I’ve ever read. Brings back films that were dismissed as too arty or bloated and sets them in their rightful place as film art.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in film studies or filmmaking. It might not be for the fanboy audience, but it shows film as a glorious art form which anyone can appreciate.